BooksBarbecue
Back Iron Council Save as PDF
Chapters (48)
  1. Prologue
  2. Part One: Trappings
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Part Two: Returns
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Part Three: Wine Land
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Anamnesis: The Perpetual Train
  19. Part Four: The Hainting
  20. Chapter Fourteen
  21. Chapter Fifteen
  22. Chapter Sixteen
  23. Part Five: Retread
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Part Six: The Causus Race
  28. Chapter Twenty
  29. Chapter Twenty-One
  30. Chapter Twenty-Two
  31. Part Seven: Stain
  32. Chapter Twenty-Three
  33. Chapter Twenty-Four
  34. Part Eight: The Remarking
  35. Chapter Twenty-Five
  36. Chapter Twenty-Six
  37. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  38. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  39. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  40. Chapter Thirty
  41. Part Nine: Sound and Light
  42. Chapter Thirty-One
  43. Chapter Thirty-Two
  44. Chapter Thirty-Three
  45. Part Ten: The Monument
  46. Chapter Thirty-Four
  47. Chapter Thirty-Five
  48. RUNAGATE RAMPANT. LUNUARY 1806.

Madeleina looked agonised but she did not say anything.

"I can’t help you, Judah," Curdin continued. "But I’ll tell you something. When you left and there were rumours why, I thought you were… not mad, stupid. A stupid, stupid man. I never thought you could find the Iron Council. I would have bet it was long gone, nothing but a rotten train in the middle of a desert. Full of skeletons.

"I was wrong, Judah. And you, and all of you, done something I never thought could be done. I won’t say the Collective is because of you, because it ain’t. All I’ll say is that word that the Iron Council was coming… well, it changed things. Even when we thought it was just a rumour, even when I thought it was a myth, it still felt like something was… it was different. Maybe we heard you were coming a little bit too soon. Maybe that’s what happened. But it changed things.

"But I don’t quite trust you, Judah. Oh, gods, don’t get me wrong, I ain’t saying you’re a traitor. You always helped us, with golems, with money… but you watch from outside. Like you get to be pleased with us. It ain’t right, Judah.

"I wish you luck. If you’re right, and maybe you are, then you’d better win. But I ain’t coming to fight with you. I fight for the Collective. If you win and the Collective loses, I don’t want to live anyway." Though it must be hyperbole, Cutter drew himself up at that, in respect.

"How you plan on finishing this, Judah?"

Judah pursed his lips. "I’ll have something," he said.

"You’ll have what?"

"I’ll have something. And there’s someone here who knows what to do. Who knows Tesh magic."

"I know, I know," Qurabin said suddenly and loud. "The Moment I worship will tell me things. Will help me. It’s a Tesh thing. My Moment knows the gods this consul might call."

"Consul?" Madeleina said, and when Judah told her that Spiral Jacobs was the ambassador of Tesh, Curdin laughed. Not a pleasant laugh.

"Yon Teshi’ll know what to do, is that it?" Curdin came close on his clumsy four legs. "You’re going to die, Judah," he said. He spoke with true sadness. "If you’re right, you’re going to die. Good luck."

Curdin shook each of their hands and left. Madeleina went with him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Though winter it was suddenly warm. Unseasonal was not the word-it was uncanny, as if the city was in an exhalation. A warmth like that of innards took the streets. The party went with Toro.